As I’ve mentioned before, I love having giant, satisfying, and delicious salads for lunches during the work week. In order to make a “meal” salad, I always like to include a balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fats along with the fiber-filled veggies. I love how this salad includes so many different textures and flavors! Let’s break it down:
The Greens
The base of this salad can be any type of green you want it to be! The beauty of the salad is that it can be so versatile and adaptable based on your preferences and what you have on hand at home. I personally used a mix of spinach and arugula, but feel free to use romaine, kale, etc. instead!
The Protein
Black beans contain 4 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein in a ½ cup serving! Black beans are one of my personal favorites to use in taco/Mexican-theme dishes. However, you can of course use your personal favorite type of legume: lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans, white beans, even refried beans would all work! In addition to providing plant-based protein, the beans are also a great healthy source of carbohydrates!
The Veggies
Do you like sautéed onions (and peppers)?! I will often throw leftover roasted or cooked veggies on top of salads in addition to fresh vegetables for variety in taste and texture. I usually make the sautéed onions and peppers ahead of time, and then they are ready to go when you make this salad! You don’t even have to reheat them when eating the salad (I personally don’t). In addition the onions and peppers, I also used juicy fresh tomatoes (a common topping for tacos).
The Fats
Did you know that our bodies actually need fat to help absorb all the nutrients (vitamins and minerals) from the vegetables in salads? This article (which happens to be my alma mater) helps explain it a bit. That’s one reason why I’d personally never recommend a fat-free salad dressing to anyone (another important reason being they taste awful!). I love oil-based vinaigrette dressings, but what sounded most delicious on this salad to me was freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese and avocado! Since the salsa is the “dressing” in this particular salad, the cheese and avocado are important to make this salad filling, satisfying, and delicious!
The Crunch (Carbohydrates!)
Salads can sometimes be lacking in carbohydrates, which unsurprisingly will often make you feeling hungry soon after. The corn chips (I used Fritos!) not only provide carbohydrates, but also a delicious crunch factor and taco salad vibe.
As seen in this photo, you can prep this salad ahead of time to bring with you to work by packing it in a mason jar to keep the greens fresh on the top. I layered the salsa, then beans, sautéed veggies, tomatoes, and then greens and cheese on top. Definitely keep the corn chips in a separate bag so they don’t get soggy in the fridge!
I hope you love this super simple and delicious recipe as much as I do! Let me know if you try it. ?
- 2-3 cups spinach/arugula/romaine
- ½ cup black beans
- ½ cup sautéed peppers and onions
- ½ cup diced tomato
- ¼ cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 ounce (1 serving) Fritos corn chips
- ¼ cup salsa
- ¼-1/2 sliced avocado (or guacamole!)
- If serving immediately: simple place greens in large bowl and add toppings!
- If making as part of meal-prep: layer the salsa, then beans, sautéed veggies, tomatoes, and then greens and cheese on top. Definitely keep the corn chips in a separate bag so they don’t get soggy in the fridge! I also recommend cutting and adding avocado right before serving so it stays fresh and doesn't brown.
- Recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, etc! Amounts listed above and just for one salad.
This is great. When we go to a Mexican restaurant, this is usually what I get. I just love the freshness of the salad part, instead of eating a ton of meat and tortillas!
Me too! The toppings make it all taste delicious! 🙂